Wright resigns as Oxford manager

Saturday 1 December 2001 17.29 EST
First published on Saturday 1 December 2001 17.29 EST

Mark Wright resigned as manager of Oxford United yesterday, just hours before he was to attend a club disciplinary hearing into allegations that he had racially abused the black referee Joe Ross.

The Football Association had fined Wright £1,750 and banned him from the touchline for four matches after he made the remark in October.

"Mr Wright feels he has been placed in an invidious position and both the club and Mr Wright feel that his time has been prematurely ended," Oxford said in a statement. "Mr Wright feels that his com ments or actions have been used out of context."

Oxford's chairman Firoz Kassam, who hired Ian Atkins as director of football while Wright was serving a club suspension on full pay and who is now expected to offer him the full-time manager's job, said he regretted the decision.

"Things weren't going as we had expected, but they were still early days. I was confident that things would turn, but things changed and we weren't allowed to do that. A decision had to be made. I wish Mark well to get on with his life, and I will get on with deciding how we structure things here and move on."

Aston Villa's manager John Gregory, told that he will have to generate finance for new signings, has given up hope of signing Leicester's transfer-listed midfielder Muzzy Izzet.

"I've been told in no uncertain terms that I've got no money to spend," Gregory said. "There are other clubs in the Premiership that have gone into debt and borrowed money to purchase players but we're not prepared to take that route. I can't argue against it. I can only do what I'm allowed to do and I'm not allowed to spend any more money unless I can create some."

Sunderland's Danny Dichio, 27, has agreed terms with West Bromwich for a £1.25m move. The striker, who scored twice for West Brom in three loan games this season before breaking a foot, still has to pass a medical but is available for tomorrow's game at Wolves as he has signed loan forms.

Barnsley's manager Steve Parkin has made Rochdale's Gary Jones his first signing. The midfielder, who has agreed a 4-year deal, was Parkin's captain at Spotland.

Luton have been allowed to to postpone today's Third Division match at Kidderminster after an independent doctor confirmed that nine members of their first-team squad have flu and another 15 are injured.

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